#2 USC Upstate Reaches Championship Game with 5-1 Win over #1 Winthrop

#2 USC Upstate Reaches Championship Game with 5-1 Win over #1 Winthrop

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By USC Upstate Athletics

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Taking the field for the Semi-final round in the Winner's Bracket, USC Upstate Softball battled the number one seeded, Winthrop where the Spartans surged past the Eagles with a 5-1 final advancing to the Championship final round for the third consecutive year.  

(Semi-Final vs. (1) Winthrop, 5-1, Win) 

Taliyah Thomas opened the game with a base hit up the middle and swipe second and third with a stolen base along with a throwing error from the catcher. With Thomas in scoring position, Carson Shaw's groundout first took the attention away at third, giving the Spartans their first run. As Winthrop looked to respond from two early outs, the Eagles followed with three base hits but Alyssa Davenport's unassisted groundout kept Winthrop scoreless. Following another hit from Taliyah Thomas and sacrifice bunt from Sophia Kardatzke, Carson Shaw drove in the second run with a sacrifice fly to right field. Winthrop took advantage of a fielding error in the infield to drive in the first run to cut into their deficit. Upstate responded with Taliyah Thomas adding her third hit with a double to left center and Carson Shaw followed with a two-run homer to left center. Duplicating her next at bat, Shaw followed with a solo homer in the top of the seventh to increase the lead to 5-1 and the Spartans corralled the final three outs for a 5-1 final to advance to the Championship final. 

Notables 

  • Senior, Taliyah Thomas moves her hit total to 72 following a 3-for-4 day at the plate and adds 28 stolen bases on the year. 

  • Senior, Carson Shaw moves her home run total to five and her hit total to 56 marking her second consecutive season with 55+ hits or more. 

  • Senior, Maddie Drerup moves her win total to 19 while adding her 25th complete game of the year which is top-three in the NCAA. 

Up next for the Spartans 

As the Spartans awaited their Championship opponent, Winthrop survives the elimination game past Gardner-Webb to advance to Saturday where the Spartans and Eagles will meet in the Championship final for the third consecutive year which will take place on Saturday, May 9 at noon.